"We didn’t want to have a show where they were in high school for eight years. We really wanted it to be true to that experience. We thought it would be really cool if we were true to the timeline," Murphy said on Ryan Seacrest's radio show.

"I don't think of it in terms of eliminating or replacing," he said for any Rachel Berry fans afraid they're swapping her for new blood, "because I think the thing about this cast is people love them and they are incredibly talented. They’ve left sort of an indelible mark.”

This leaves those crazy kids open for movies, albums, reality projects, making some milkshakes for the paparazzi and then any inevitable comebacks. Murphy confirmed that small-screen teachers Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch would remain as the "linchpins" of the series.